Chapter 2 of Embarrassments is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Embarrassments is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!” She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing. “Vereker’s idea?” “His general intention. George has cabled from Bombay.”
Chapter 2 of Embarrassments is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
a city in western India just off the coast of the Arabian Sea; India's 2nd largest city (after Calcutta); has the only natural deep-water harbor in western India
From this reading “George has cabled from Bombay.””
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading “George has cabled from Bombay.””
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!””
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading “She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading ““His general intention.”
march in a procession
From this reading “Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!””
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!””
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
a city in western India just off the coast of the Arabian Sea; India's 2nd largest city (after Calcutta); has the only natural deep-water harbor in western India
From this reading George has cabled from Bombay.”
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading George has cabled from Bombay.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “His general intention.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George has cabled from Bombay.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “His general intention.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Vereker’s idea?”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “His general intention.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
march in a procession
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was moved, as I could see, to such depths that she must mean the great thing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
a special situation
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Vereker’s idea?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
in or at the place that
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Early in March I had a telegram from her, in consequence of which I repaired immediately to Chelsea, where the first thing she said to me was: “He has got it, he has got it!”
Chapter 2 of Embarrassments by Henry James holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 419 sentences of Embarrassments, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Embarrassments by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Embarrassments by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2945 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21932 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21932, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 245 minutes of reading across 589 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Embarrassments section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Embarrassments to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Embarrassments, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
